Married to a Villainous Minister - Chapter 181

Perhaps due to the bumpy ride, Yu Jiao slept uneasily. Her delicate brows were tightly furrowed.

In her hazy dream, she seemed to have returned to her former world, surrounded by stark white, sterile walls, with the sharp scent of disinfectant in the air. Fu Chuan stood beside her, his handsome face wearing a gentle, doting smile as he said, “Jiao Jiao, I made your favorite, shrimp balls with egg tofu and sticky rice with steamed ribs. If we wait much longer, it’ll get cold.”

Yu Jiao reached out, trying to hold his hand, wanting to say, “Senior brother, let’s go home and eat.”

But then, a cold blade, gleaming with a chilling light, suddenly slashed toward them. Blood splattered across her face, shocking and vivid. A hand covered her eyes, warm yet sticky. Something hot and thick dripped onto her cheek, soaking her collar.

“Jiao Jiao…” Fu Chuan’s weak, nearly inaudible whisper fell into her ears.

The world turned crimson. Yu Jiao desperately tried to open her eyes, to scream, to reach for Fu Chuan as his body collapsed to the ground, yet she could do nothing.

Yu Qizhe noticed her trembling and gently placed a hand on her back, comforting her with a slow stroke.

Suddenly, Yu Jiao clutched at Yu Qizhe’s lapel like a drowning person clinging to driftwood, letting out a pained and helpless sob.

Seeing her trapped in a nightmare, Yu Qizhe softly called, “Yu Jiao, wake up.”

“Fu Chuan!” Yu Jiao cried out in a voice filled with despair and restraint. Her eyes flew open as she jolted awake from the nightmare.

The overwhelming sea of red vanished. Her face was pale, her eyes misted with unshed tears. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead, soaking the back of her clothes. Her body trembled uncontrollably.

“Did you have a nightmare?” Yu Qizhe asked gently, seeing how shaken she looked. “It’s alright now. Just a dream.”

Yu Fuling was also startled awake by Yu Jiao’s outcry, though still half-asleep. She mumbled, “What happened…?” Before drifting off again.

Yu Jiao remained dazed for a long while. Yu Qizhe wrapped her small hands in his large palms and gently patted her head, his voice as soft as coaxing a child, “Don’t be afraid, I’m here.”

Leaning into the warmth of his embrace, Yu Jiao said nothing for a long time. She forced herself to forget the blood-soaked image of her senior brother Fu Chuan’s death, tried to push the memory away, believing that doing so might free her from the despair, suffocation, and pain it had brought.

She thought maybe if she tried hard enough to forget, she could live like a normal person again.

But the guilt that had seeped into her bones, the resentment with nowhere to go, the powerlessness etched deep in her soul, they clung to her like maggots burrowing into flesh. They were rooted in every inch of her memory, hiding in every capillary.

A hidden, dull pain.

“Call me,” Yu Jiao whispered, lifting her tear-streaked face. Her apricot eyes still shimmered with wetness as she looked at Yu Qizhe, her voice barely audible, as if pleading for help.

“Yu Jiao, Yu Jiao, Yu Jiao…” Yu Qizhe saw her pale lips and the panic and helplessness written across her usually calm and composed face. His heart ached, and he called her name again and again, patient and tender.

Yu Jiao closed her eyes. A voice inside her whispered, “No, it should be ‘little sister’…”

The one who used to call her ‘little sister,’ he was gone. He’s gone.

Sourness welled in Yu Jiao’s chest. Though her eyes were shut tightly, tears still seeped through. Warmth spread across her chest as Yu Qizhe held her close, resting his chin gently against her forehead. He kept softly calling her name, full of tenderness and heartache.

Fu Chuan… Yu Qizhe silently repeated this unfamiliar name in his heart. He had never heard of this person before, yet somehow, this man had such a hold on Yu Jiao’s emotions, it unsettled him. A vague sense of jealousy and resentment crept in.

In all this time, he had never seen Yu Jiao cry. She was always strong and composed, never panicking even in the worst of times.

When the He family came storming in full of bluster, she was pushed to the front but didn’t shed a single tear out of fear. When the blood-soaked bandages were ripped from her wounds, she didn’t cry.

But now, just from a dream, she wept.

Yu Qizhe felt deeply uncomfortable. He wanted to know if her dream had been about a man. Who was this Fu Chuan? What connection did he have with Yu Jiao that could haunt her dreams and bring her to tears upon waking?

But for now, he could only suppress his questions. He reined in the restlessness and curiosity that surged like weeds in his heart.

Yu Qizhe’s breath gently brushed the top of Yu Jiao’s head. She pulled her hands out of his grasp and wiped away her tears, forcing herself to snap out of despair. She knew she couldn’t linger in that emotion too long, or she’d sink deeper and deeper, until she broke.

So many years had passed. Maybe if she kept forcing herself to forget… she really could forget.

“I… I’m alright now. Just a bad dream,” Yu Jiao said, tilting her face up. Her nose was almost touching Yu Qizhe’s. Suddenly realizing that she was sitting right in his arms, so close, so intimate, she flushed slightly and hurriedly backed away, fumbling to sit upright beside him.

Yu Qizhe loosened his arms and let her go. But as she rose too quickly, she almost hit her head on the carriage roof. Quick as lightning, Yu Qizhe reached out and pressed a steadying hand on her shoulder. “The carriage is bumpy, watch your head.”

Yu Jiao’s cheeks reddened again, remembering how she had just been crying in his arms and had even asked him to call her name. She scooted over and sat properly beside him, stealing a glance at Yu Fuling. Seeing she was still asleep and hadn’t been woken by the commotion, Yu Jiao let out a quiet sigh of relief.

In truth, Yu Fuling had woken the moment Yu Qizhe started softly calling Yu Jiao’s name. But when she opened her eyes and saw Yu Jiao curled in his embrace, she didn’t dare make a sound. Feeling awkward, she simply closed her eyes and pretended to sleep.

The carriage suddenly slowed, human voices could be heard in the distance. Yu Jiao lifted the curtain and peeked outside.

People were gathered on both sides of the official road, vendors with shoulder poles, women holding children, and scholars carrying bookcases, also on their way to take the exams in Qingzhou.

Qingzhou City was already faintly visible in the distance. They had unknowingly arrived at the outskirts while she slept.

As the carriage neared the city gate, it slowed further. Guards were inspecting people entering the city. Something seemed to have happened. The coachman pulled the reins and jumped down from the driver’s seat. He turned and said to the passengers inside, “I’ll go see what’s going on ahead.”

Soon, he returned. “It seems a criminal official has escaped. The court has ordered strict inspections across all provinces. But our master said not to worry, everything is fine. Young Master Yu, young ladies, there’s nothing to be concerned about.”

Yu Jiao nodded. Only then did the “sleeping” Yu Fuling ‘slowly wake up,’ rubbing her eyes. “Why did the carriage stop?”

“We’ve arrived in Qingzhou,” Yu Jiao replied.

Fuling leaned toward the window to peek outside. Her eyes lit up. “Wow, the gates of Qingzhou are really grand!”